Enforcement Training

Laws are put in place to ensure the safety of the general population, but how these laws are enforced is just as important as why they are enforced. When dealing with underage drinking, law enforcement officers need to be trained in the proper techniques for safely ending parties, eliminating accidents, and confiscating illegal identification. Below are just a few of the programs the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has enacted to help our local police officers deal with these issues.

Party Prevention and Controlled Party Dispersal

When minors gather for parties involving alcohol, there is always an underlying sense of panic among them. If officers are not careful when approaching these parties and attempting to break them up, the event could get out of hand very quickly. Escalation of the event could lead to drunk driving, violence, injury, and even lawsuits.

Source Investigation Project (SIP)
Course Overview

This course is geared to attack the problem of dangerous drinking behavior by young adults, ages 16-25, and especially prosecute anyone who furnished the alcohol to minors under the age of 21, which is a criminal offense. SIP has discovered that education and awareness through an extensive public relations campaign is a key component to providing valuable information to introduce change in the mindset of our young adults. Aggressive enforcement of all alcohol laws and of alcohol-associated crimes is likewise crucial to success in changing the behavior of young adults. Increasing the risk of getting caught is an effective deterrent which not only affects the minor but impacts the provider of alcohol as well. SIP is not a course in exact procedure. Rather, it is a foundation of ideas on which to build a program that is tailor-made for your community.

False Identification (ID)

Another way that minors gain access to alcohol is by assuming a legal-age identity through the use of false or fake IDs. To help better recognize and stop the use of fake IDs, the PLCB has assembled a dedicated team of training specialists who are available to instruct police officers and employees of licensed establishments.

We need to send a message to underage drinkers that every one of them will be punished consistently and to the fullest extent of the law. That’s why we have created Same P.A.G.E. This program encourages police officers and court officials to actively participate in the prosecuting and sentencing of underage drinking cases. The following document provides information on all the current PA underage drinking laws. Also included is an order form for the complimentary Same P.A.G.E. video and guide booklet.